GAT_00:jylcat: GAT_00: Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

You, sir, are disgusting.

What, because I refuse to turn into an ultra-nationalist when we get attacked?

I don't think you have to be an ultra-nationalist to see that these guys could have sat down and said "I'm tired", but instead they sucked it up and went above and beyond to help. And that's a good thing.

The one part of the video that stuck with me was those soldiers and some cops ripping that staging/fencing apart so they could gain access to the wounded. I kept yelling at the cameraman to get the f*ck out of the way. heh...

In a horrific time, it is truly calming to see people fling themselves into action to help people they don't even know.

MisterTweak:GAT_00: jylcat: GAT_00: Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

You, sir, are disgusting.

What, because I refuse to turn into an ultra-nationalist when we get attacked?

May I suggest tonight's off-menu special, the pan-friend jumbo bag of d*cks?

Story is from Mother Jones, not exactly the bastion of far-right god-and-country conservatism, ya know. And has very little to do with military, and a lot to do with one father's very personal losses.

I'm very aware of the source. And making people into heroes defeats the entire purpose. A hero is not supposed to be written up as some totally farking awesome person. They simply are. The very act of glorifying them reduces them to nothing more than an ad piece to show how awesome you are instead.

On top of that, nationalism gets you nowhere except restrictions and wars. It's how you lose.

So, no, I will not wave the flag. I will not glorify people for the glory makes it utterly hollow. And I will not go looking for some worthless silver lining in a disaster simply because we like a feel-good story.

GAT_00:MisterTweak: GAT_00: jylcat: GAT_00: Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

You, sir, are disgusting.

What, because I refuse to turn into an ultra-nationalist when we get attacked?

May I suggest tonight's off-menu special, the pan-friend jumbo bag of d*cks?

Story is from Mother Jones, not exactly the bastion of far-right god-and-country conservatism, ya know. And has very little to do with military, and a lot to do with one father's very personal losses.

I'm very aware of the source. And making people into heroes defeats the entire purpose. A hero is not supposed to be written up as some totally farking awesome person. They simply are. The very act of glorifying them reduces them to nothing more than an ad piece to show how awesome you are instead.

On top of that, nationalism gets you nowhere except restrictions and wars. It's how you lose.

So, no, I will not wave the flag. I will not glorify people for the glory makes it utterly hollow. And I will not go looking for some worthless silver lining in a disaster simply because we like a feel-good story.

Have you ever considered monastic life? Honestly. Few people see glorification of good works as a bad thing, except monks.

GAT_00:And I will not go looking for some worthless silver lining in a disaster simply because we like a feel-good story.

That's all we really have at the end of the day. We'll have another one of these events again. Of course we will. They don't define us. What defines us is how we respond as human beings. Watching those civilians, soldiers, cops, doctors swarm to the wounded when everyone there, after hearing two explosions could not be sure there were more? They were all heroes. Every single person who ran to help a fallen human at their time of need. To take off their belts, shoelaces, shirts and use them to staunch the bleeding or to form tourniquets. To speak to them and assure them that they were not going to leave their side, help was on the way.

It was just another horrific event that gave the human race a chance to show why they still have any redeeming qualities left. They helped their fellow humans and disregarded their own safety to do so.

You can call it something else, but the clearest word is hero... Someone you hope you will be in the same situation and someone you hope you are raising your children to be.

Benevolent Misanthrope:Have you ever considered monastic life? Honestly. Few people see glorification of good works as a bad thing, except monks.

Well, I've been farking like one for a while...

And yes, crap like this pisses me off. It's the first step to making products to "commemorate" people and this incident, and now someone can get rich off a disaster. I am so utterly farking sick of that.

Everyone can write an meaningless feel good phrase. It does nothing. There was plenty of that yesterday on FB. And so if we go with meaningless platitudes, they might as well be well written, which is why I responded with this.

Benevolent Misanthrope:Have you ever considered monastic life? Honestly. Few people see glorification of good works as a bad thing, except monks.

Goddammit, I had a good post written up to this and it died to a 500 error.

First, I might as well be one, since I've been farking like one for a while....

But really, it's that things like this are really the first step to commercializing tragedies. It'll happen. Just watch for how much Remembrance shiat is out for next year's race. A nice profit off a tragedy.

Meaningless platitudes really get us nowhere. We learn, we adapt, we move on. But if we are going to go with meaningless platitudes, they might as well be well written, so I was responding with this yesterday on FB.

Oh, but they do. We'll look at how people reacted, and commercialize it. We'll look at how we could have prevented it and make laws for it. We are hopelessly reactionary when something like this happens, which only dooms the next one. The positives only end up as someone's product.

GAT_00:We are hopelessly reactionary when something like this happens, which only dooms the next one.

The media sure is. I cut that cord. I've just talked to people at work and family about it. None of them are anywhere near the pitch the 24 news cycle masturbates to.

They grab at straws. They conduct the investigation in the open. If there is anything I've learned in this world is that patience is a virtue. I trust the people handling the investigation are flinging rocks over right now and not getting much sleep. I'll wait to hear what they've come up with.

I immediately thought tax day and all that stuff. But, we're not going to really know anything until they tell us.

Maybe I'm just getting older, but this whole rush to find the answer (which I am guilty of too) is just too tiring. None of us are ever 100% right. We just wind up screaming at each other.

I'll wait to hear what they find out. In the meantime, I'll enjoy knowing that there were a lot of people there that day who rushed in to help people. It keeps me from going into the threads and screaming things I'll only apologize for later.

I really hate these attacks, in case that wasn't clear. I can analyze them pretty well after having done it here so many times. Act of a mad man. Even if only .0000001% of 300,000,000 people are this nuts, that still leaves a lot of nuts. I just want them to find who did it and bring them to justice.

NewportBarGuy:Act of a mad man. Even if only .0000001% of 300,000,000 people are this nuts, that still leaves a lot of nuts.

And presumably the percentage is much higher. The difficulty is not the crazy person, but the competent crazy person who does not blab their plans before hand, and is capable of developing them in the first place. Arguably, the person capable of doing so isn't really crazy at all.

GAT_00:I'm very aware of the source. And making people into heroes defeats the entire purpose. A hero is not supposed to be written up as some totally farking awesome person. They simply are. The very act of glorifying them reduces them to nothing more than an ad piece to show how awesome you are instead.

It depends on your point of view. If one were a jaded cynic, I could totally see how one might think that. I, however, think stories like this do serve as a positive example of human behavior. An inspiration to future heroes if you will. It's okay to celebrate and encourage that kind of selflessness in the face of crisis. We need more of that, not less.

gremlin1:It was a blessing that those men were in the right place at the right time, it was a shame that they had to deal with something like this in their own home.

No shat.

Very rarely are people trained for this, and these guys were.

It sucks that these guys had the opportunity to get the experience to shine in this situation, and sucks they had the opportunity to reuse those skills, especially in a place they never should have had to.

GAT_00:I'm incapable of having a genuine emotion involving anyone except myself. I can't stand it when people have to sully a tragedy like this by pointing out the people that helped... it's pointless. Blatent nationalism. Why do I think this is nationalism? Because, I've decided that's what this is and you're all wrong any I'm right and enlightened.

Nothing positive anyone does is helpful in any way. Completely unlike my wandering around randomly whining and making an ass of myself with a big "look at me!!! IM DIFFERENT!!!" sign taped to my shirt,

THAT is how you help people. shiat all over them and act smug and above the entire thing.. as you post on the interwebs website that you like to frequent.

Because god knows they were running short on shiat-poor half-baked opinions from basement neckbeards.

GAT_00:I suppose I should be surprised it took this long for the ad hominen attacks to start for having an unpopular opinion. Can't have that, especially when it comes to blind nationalism.

As long as you are speaking your mind, you should be able to take the heat just fine. You are an idiot to even think you can state an unpopular opinion without the attacks.

"...the true patriotism, the only rational patriotism, is loyalty to the Nation ALL the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it. " Mark Twain.

What I see is people helping each other in time of need. We need reminders that a soldier is trained more than just to kill. The media should reinforce the idea that helping those in needs is more important than jumping to conclusion to who is did this to us.

I have no problem seeing the best part of our nation being interpreted as patriotism.

GAT_00:Benevolent Misanthrope: Have you ever considered monastic life? Honestly. Few people see glorification of good works as a bad thing, except monks.

Well, I've been farking like one for a while...

And yes, crap like this pisses me off. It's the first step to making products to "commemorate" people and this incident, and now someone can get rich off a disaster. I am so utterly farking sick of that.

Everyone can write an meaningless feel good phrase. It does nothing. There was plenty of that yesterday on FB. And so if we go with meaningless platitudes, they might as well be well written, which is why I responded with this.

Well I've had my fill of the star spangled banter, the last decade was enough. But I'm happy to thank the people who helped, in uniform or not. There were some really fortunate occurrences and circumstances that have kept the death tole as low as it is. And that's just something small to smile at in all this.

I won't be buying a commemorative coin that will be minted from silver that was hidden in a vault just below the finish line.

I was a bit annoyed with all of the coverage and platitudes. I remember back in 1979, here in San Antonio at our Battle of Flowers parade, (which is a week from this Friday) a sniper killing spectators. Never got this coverage. of course this is before the Cable News networks. Anyway, as I watch more of the coverage, I don't think it means more cynical nationalist coverage, I like the stories of those that stepped-up to help, offered their homes, went downstairs with orange juice and coffee. What? would you rather hear stories of people coming down and kicking the shiat out of the victims?

GAT_00:What, because I refuse to turn into an ultra-nationalist when we get attacked?

The video showed the guy who was handing out flags, he was clearly not born here.Those people get excused from any excessive nationalism because they're just so damn happy and without any open hostility.Apart from that I just see people, not Americans.

It's remarkable and fortunate that there were more than a dozen soliders, with appropriate trauma kits in the ruck, who were able to assist. It probably saved more than a few people's lives and limbs. I've stayed away as much as possible from images, it's just too upsetting for me, but I've heard numerous reports of many, many people running TOWARDS the explosion to help. While many people gathered at a marathon finish line are people apt to be helpers, it doesn't make their actions less heroic.

A shiatty, horrible, vile thing happened. But recognizing the good done within that isn't jingoism, it's the best of who we are. The worst pop up too, within the hour...there were scammers online setting up false charities. And I'm sure within minutes, people using it to push their agendas or politics...whatever they were.

About time we focused more on the good shiat than hyperfocusing on purely the bad. Most people are pretty decent, and it's good to see tangible proof of that in the face of evil.

GAT_00:MisterTweak: GAT_00: jylcat: GAT_00: Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

You, sir, are disgusting.

What, because I refuse to turn into an ultra-nationalist when we get attacked?

May I suggest tonight's off-menu special, the pan-friend jumbo bag of d*cks?

Story is from Mother Jones, not exactly the bastion of far-right god-and-country conservatism, ya know. And has very little to do with military, and a lot to do with one father's very personal losses.

I'm very aware of the source. And making people into heroes defeats the entire purpose. A hero is not supposed to be written up as some totally farking awesome person. They simply are. The very act of glorifying them reduces them to nothing more than an ad piece to show how awesome you are instead.

On top of that, nationalism gets you nowhere except restrictions and wars. It's how you lose.

So, no, I will not wave the flag. I will not glorify people for the glory makes it utterly hollow. And I will not go looking for some worthless silver lining in a disaster simply because we like a feel-good story.

This isn't really a 'Murica, fark yeah we're heroes! but more like, wow these people did some pretty impressive shiat under the most chaotic of circumstances. I don't think anyone is beating a war drum and bleeding red, white and blue. It's a human triumph piece, not a nationalist one.

GAT_00:Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

Not an American myself, but the constant displays of nationalism we see on the news is just awkwardly-uncomfortable. Don't know any country in the world apart from America that seems to feed on that behavior quite as much.

As for the news coverage over this Boston thing, you're right, it is sickening. A couple bombs go off and a couple people die and it's the only thing discussed the world around despite the fact that many bigger disasters are happening across the world. Meanwhile American drone strikes are still killing children/civilians and they get half a days news coverage, with many of your major news outlets not even reporting it. Sickening is the right adjective. But then, I reckon the majority of people outside America are used to that kind of behavior and by now we've come to expect it.

It's good to know that not everyone is flag-waving and thinking the world is coming to an end because you guys got bombed for a change.

ex0h:GAT_00: Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

Not an American myself, but the constant displays of nationalism we see on the news is just awkwardly-uncomfortable. Don't know any country in the world apart from America that seems to feed on that behavior quite as much.

As for the news coverage over this Boston thing, you're right, it is sickening. A couple bombs go off and a couple people die and it's the only thing discussed the world around despite the fact that many bigger disasters are happening across the world. Meanwhile American drone strikes are still killing children/civilians and they get half a days news coverage, with many of your major news outlets not even reporting it. Sickening is the right adjective. But then, I reckon the majority of people outside America are used to that kind of behavior and by now we've come to expect it.

It's good to know that not everyone is flag-waving and thinking the world is coming to an end because you guys got bombed for a change.

And yet, one of the big debates in the US congress right now is immigration reform, because everybody is trying to leave America. Oh wait, that's where you live. nevermind.

ex0h:GAT_00: Ugh, we're already busy turning every single person who was at the marathon into some kind hero and waving the flag all over the place. It's farking disgusting.

Not an American myself, but the constant displays of nationalism we see on the news is just awkwardly-uncomfortable. Don't know any country in the world apart from America that seems to feed on that behavior quite as much.

As for the news coverage over this Boston thing, you're right, it is sickening. A couple bombs go off and a couple people die and it's the only thing discussed the world around despite the fact that many bigger disasters are happening across the world. Meanwhile American drone strikes are still killing children/civilians and they get half a days news coverage, with many of your major news outlets not even reporting it. Sickening is the right adjective. But then, I reckon the majority of people outside America are used to that kind of behavior and by now we've come to expect it.

It's good to know that not everyone is flag-waving and thinking the world is coming to an end because you guys got bombed for a change.

Ambivalence:It depends on your point of view. If one were a jaded cynic, I could totally see how one might think that. I, however, think stories like this do serve as a positive example of human behavior. An inspiration to future heroes if you will. It's okay to celebrate and encourage that kind of selflessness in the face of crisis. We need more of that, not less.

Conscience is an expression of the ego. That one knows what is right and is determined to do it.